‘Pick your poison:’ With Harper, Phillies lineup is as deep as it gets

The Phillies officially activated Bryce Harper from the 60-day injured list on Friday. Yairo Muñoz was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and minor league outfielder Símon Muzziotti was recalled and placed on the 60-day injured with a partial tear of his right patellar tendon.

Harper’s addition creates a problem every big league manager dreams of having. Bryson Stott, last night’s No. 3 hitter, is batting seventh. Jean Segura, who has an .806 OPS since returning from a right index fracture, is batting eighth. The lineup is deeper than it has been all season.

“Having the lefties 1, 4 and 7 spreads them out so you have two righties in between all of them,” interim manager Rob Thomson said before Friday’s game. “Pick your poison [on] which lefty you want to use on [Schwarber] or [Harper]. Then you’re going to have to take down a couple of pretty good right handed hitters.”

Harper’s last start in the cleanup spot came July 4 last season against the Padres at home. There’s a comfort level with Harper and the No. 3 spot, but Thomson said Harper had no complaints when informed he’s hitting fourth.

“We’ll see how it works,” Thomson said. “If it doesn’t, we’ll have to make an adjustment.”

While Harper confirmed in Lehigh Valley that he will not play right field upon his return, Thomson is not completely ruling out a return to the outfield this season. He just thinks the possibility of him eventually returning to right field in 2022 is “a stretch.”

“It’s just gonna take him a while to ramp up,” Thomson said. “We want to be careful. We want to make sure he can hit. We don’t want to do any damage to his elbow.”

Phillies Notes

• Seranthony Domínguez (right triceps tendinitis) is doing plyometrics on Friday. Then the Phillies will decide if he’s ready to start a throwing program. He’s eligible to be activated on Sept. 2.
• Brandon Marsh (left ankle sprain) will bat first and play center field at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday. He’s eligible to be activated on Saturday.

Here is the Phillies lineup for Friday’s series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

1. Kyle Schwarber, left fielder
2. Rhys Hoskins, first base
3. Alec Bohm, third base
4. Bryce Harper, designated hitter
5. J.T. Realmuto, catcher
6. Nick Castellanos, right field
7. Bryson Stott, shortstop
8. Jean Segura, second base
9. Matt Vierling, center field

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